Team AMAT
by scar225
Summary: Tenebris was just an average bounty hunter until one day he was caught and arrested. Now someone has given him a second chance at life and he intends to make the best of it with his new team. But when a spring of murders pop up with a clear connection, what will the team do in response and what will they find out in the process?
1. Chapter 1: A Second Chance

**Hello everyone. So this is my actual first official story that I'm going to write and finish, unlike a project in the past. So basically just read and enjoy chapter one of Team AMAT and please favorite and follow if you enjoyed it and please leave a comment if you have one as constructive criticism is highly accepted to help me learn as a writer. Anyway now that I'm done talking, enjoy.**

Tenebris sighed as he heard the cell doors open as he stepped out of his cell and into the bland hall. He stayed quiet in the loud prison cafeteria as he got his tray and sat down to eat. This was his routine life for about a year now, and he was okay with it. After all, he deserved it. As Tenebris was enjoying his meal, three big prisoners walked up behind him, looking down upon the teen sitting at the table. The three all appeared to be in their twenties or young thirties. Tenebris didn't recognize them, they must have been new. Who else would be stupid enough to pick a fight with him?

"Hey," said the biggest one, "you're in my seat." The two in the back chuckled as the bigger one smiled downward, casting a shadow onto Tenebris below them. Tenebris swallowed the food he had a smiled.

"Listen, fellas, I don't want to start anything here. No one owns a table here, especially when you're new here. So you want my advice? Get lost while you can still use those legs of yours to walk away." Tenebris then went back to eating his food in peace. The group of three looked at each other confused, and then laughed. Who was this teenager to tell them what they should do?

"Who do you think you are? You can't even see where I am right now. So what are you going to do about it?" One of the men said motioning to the blindfold wrapped around Tenebris's eyes. Tenebris swallowed the bit of food he had and sat motionless. Then in a blur Tenebris stood abruptly and grabbed the first dude by the throat, choking him as he lifted the big man and threw him into the ground, creating a small indent the shape of his head. Tenebris continued to choke the injured man as his buddies backed away.

"Now listen, since I'm feeling awfully generous today I propose an offer. If you three walk away right now and promise to not cause any more trouble for me while I'm here, I won't kill any of you in the process. One time offer, take it or leave it." The two men still standing nodded furiously while the third was gasping on the ground, clawing at Tenebris's hand in attempts to remove it from his throat.

"Sorry can you repeat that? I couldn't hear you," Tenebris said calmly as he loosened his grip slightly on the man.

"Yes, yes we'll take it!" the man screamed before he was released, gasping for air to fill his deprived lungs.

"Good, I'm glad we could come to an understanding," Tenebris said as he turned and walked back to the table. But as he was walking he turned and punched the guy on the ground directly in the nose with perfect accuracy, causing him to yell in pain as blood flooded his face.

"For the record, my eyesight is fine." With that the group ran off after helping their gasping and bleeding friend off the ground. This is how life was for Tenebris for a year now. Nothing was going to change for probably the rest of his life; he had accepted that fact long ago. As he finished up his meal, a guard came up to him, halting what he was doing.

"Tenebris, come with me please." Tenebris got up and did as he was asked, following the big man in uniform through the halls of the high guarded prison. Finally, they arrived at their destination, which was a rather unexpected destination.

"Sir, what are we doing here?" Tenebris assumed a mistake had been made. Why on Remnant after a year of prison would he have a visitor?

"Please, step inside. And make sure you don't try anything, we have cameras in the room and guards posted outside ready to stop anything you may be up to." The guard then closed the door behind him, leaving him alone in a room with a single microphone on a desk with one metal chair.

"Professor Ozpin," Tenebris said without moving his head from the wall he was facing since he walked in. Ozpin smiled warmly in his chair, his cane resting across his legs. Tenebris took his seat as he waited for Ozpin to speak.

"Hello Tenebris, how is prison treating you?" Ozpin spoke with calmness in his voice that seemed to spread to him, helping him rest easier just by listening. Tenebris finally spoke up to Ozpin after a moment of silence.

"Can't complain too badly, the food is always fresh and I even have my own bed." Ozpin sighed as he leaned back in his chair. "Though, it could be better. Prison isn't exactly the life I thought I would have. But here I am and here I will stay until I finally die and pass on." The space got quiet until Ozpin decided to speak up.

"And what did you think you would have? You thought you would stay a mercenary the rest of your life?" Tenebris thought this over.

"No, eventually I would have to retire. But it would definitely pay well for many years to come." Tenebris thought back to the day the police finally caught him. Tenebris may have been able to escape that rainy day, but the truth was he was young and he was scared to die. So he laid down his weapon and was taken in. Karma finally caught up to him, and here he was paying the price for all of those completed bounties.

"Well Tenebris, what if I told you that you didn't have to stay in here until you die. What if I told you that you could walk out of here a free man, today?" Tenebris did not know how to respond. Was this man toying with him, or could he actually get out. Finally, Tenebris decided to trust the man.

"Then I would say that I'm listening," Tenebris replied as he sat in the chair in front of the microphone.

"I have a lot of friends, Tenebris. I could pull some strings and request some favors and you would walk out of here a free man, on one condition. You will attend my school and train to be a hunter so you can protect this world from harm, rather than be that cause of it." Did Ozpin really want Tenebris to attend Beacon Academy?

"Why would you pick me out of everyone? Why am I so special?" Ozpin smiled as he leant forward.

"Because, Tenebris, you're the best of the best." Tenebris pondered this statement, not being sure how it should make him feel. "Do we have a deal?" Tenebris thought hard for a moment, but only for a moment.

"Yes, we have a deal," Tenebris said plainly, standing from his chair along with Ozpin.

"Well then, you will be out of here before the day is over. I will see you at Beacon, Tenebris." With that said, Ozpin left and Tenebris was escorted back to his cell. As the cell door closed, Tenebris remained in thought. Could he really turn his life around and attend Beacon Academy, commit to protecting the world he once helped to destroy? Tenebris did not know the answer, but he knew one thing, he was certainly going to try.

As promised by Ozpin, Tenebris was out before the sun fell. A guard escorted him to gather his things. Tenebris gathered his weapon and typical attire. He was able to change back into his red shirt and black pants, draping a black cloak with a hood over him. Once he was set a guard escorted Tenebris to an airship that was instructed to take him to Beacon. As the airship took off, Tenebris realized that he just agreed to leave everything in his past behind him. Tenebris realized that he could never go back to the life he once knew. Tenebris smiled slightly as he was okay with this, he was finally getting a second chance at life.

Tenebris landed along with many other airships carrying loads of students. Tenebris carefully disembarked the airship and joined in the crowd of students who were all running around with excitement to be at Beacon Academy. As he scanned the crowd with his semblance, the group began to migrate to one point, so Tenebris followed. Once he entered the building he saw Professor Ozpin on the stage, ready to speak to the students. But as the professor began to speak, a kid next to him decided to get very chatty.

"Hey, what's up with the blindfold?" Tenebris stayed silent as he attempted to listen to the professor. However, Tenebris quickly realized his efforts were futile as the boy next to him continued. "What about that cloak you're wearing? It looks like it's moving on its own. Is it alive or something?" Tenebris took a breath to remain calm while staying silent to not encourage the boy. "Hey, I get it. You don't want to talk about it, that's okay, that's cool." The boy finally stayed silent for a moment, realizing this boy did not wish to talk to him. Tenebris took this moment to focus on the boy. He wore brown cargo pants with a camo-green colored short sleeve shirt. He also wore gloves that appeared to go down his forearms as well, which appeared to contain canisters of dust along with a pair of combat boots. Soon, the professor finished his speech and the crowd disbanded, Tenebris quickly leaving. The boy continued to walk with Tenebris, trying to think up a conversation.

"I'm Mark by the way. I forgot to introduce myself earlier." Tenebris stayed quiet before finally sighing.

"I'm Tenebris." Tenebris realized that if he was going to make a new start at this school he was going to need to make friends, or at least acquaintances. Tenebris decided that this boy was being nice enough. Mark smiled at this boy's response, finally getting something out of him. Mark decided this was all he was going to get for now, and he wasn't about to push his luck. After all, he didn't know anyone else here, so he was going to need to be friends with someone.

The sun began to set as Mark and Tenebris walked to the main building to sleep for the night. Mark and Tenebris hadn't talked much, but it was still nice for both of them to have company. Tenebris had been provided a sleeping bag by the school while Mark had brought his own from home. Tenebris began to sleep as well as Mark, thinking about this second chance he had so graciously been given. Tenebris promised himself that he would not this second chance go to waste. He had never been given a second chance in his life until Ozpin came along. And Tenebris planned on making the best out of this second chance.

Tenebris awoke to sunshine coming in through the windows and students beginning to hustle around, awaiting their first day at Beacon. Tenebris saw that Mark was already up; being gone from the spot he was at the night before. Tenebris arose and stretched out as he began to move towards the smell of food, his stomach already growling to the smell of good food. Tenebris couldn't remember the last time he had good food. Tenebris stopped himself from thinking on it too much and began to hurry to the source of the smell. Tenebris stopped at the entrance when he saw what was causing the smell. Pancakes, and a whole lot of them. Tenebris had never had pancakes before, but if the taste was at all like the smell, he had a feeling they were going to be amazing. Tenebris got a plate so full of pancakes that if it wasn't for his semblance he wouldn't be able to see over the top of them. Tenebris wasted no time as he devoured what was on his plate, and then went back for more.

Once Tenebris's appetite was quenched thanks to his fourth plate of pancakes, he began to gather his weapon from his locker. Tenebris took the handle and activated the weapon, causing two black blades to extend from either side of the handle. Tenebris did some practice swings, smiling at the familiarity of the weapon in his hands. Tenebris retracted the blades and hooked the handle to the top of his pants on his left side. As he began to leave however, Mark appeared behind him to get his weapon from the locker that belonged to him. Tenebris thought for a minute then walked up to Mark to greet him.

"Hey Mark, how are you doing?" Mark turned to Tenebris and smiled as he continued putting on his brown gloves from yesterday.

"Oh, hey Tenebris! Just thinking about teams, speaking of which, I don't really know anyone here yet and rumor has it that today's the day we pick. So I was wondering, maybe we could be a team together?" Mark smiled as he stared as Tenebris's blindfold where his eyes would be. Mark didn't know where to look when he talked to him but he decided this was probably the best solution.

"I'm going to be honest with you Mark, I don't really know anyone here either." Mark smiled as he began to speak, but was quickly cut off. "However, I'm not really looking for a team or anything right now, and I don't know how well we would work together since I've barely known you. So thanks, but I'm just going to roll with whatever happens. But I'll keep the offer in mind." Tenebris patted Mark on the shoulder as he walked away, leaving Mark with a sad look on his face. Tenebris seemed like a cool guy and he really wanted to be on a team with someone that he had already met. Mark closed his locker and began to walk towards the cliff they needed to report at. He was sure it would all work out, he wasn't going to be put down by one rejection, there were plenty of students here, and one of them would have to say yes.

Tenebris couldn't believe what he just heard. You would decide who your partner was for the next four years at this school… by eye contact?! That was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard, or at least top five. When he told Mark he would roll with whatever happened this was not what he had in mind! Tenebris heard bits and pieces as he focused on the flood of information being poured at them. Relic, partner, kill Grimm, make it back alive. Before Tenebris had time to process all of this information, the platforms down the line clicked then sprung, launching the students into the air. Oh right, and he also needed a landing strategy. He realized he was next in line as he quickly began to come up with one, taking a stance to maintain balance. With that Tenebris was launched into the air as he used his semblance to see all around him, though it was difficult with how fast he was moving through the air. Tenebris then saw a tree straight ahead and used it to kick off of and land on the ground in a solid stance, digging his weapon into the ground as well to help slow him down. Finally once head come to a full stop, he stood and retracted his weapon and fixed the hood on his cloak as he used his semblance to get a full 360 view around him.

As far as he could tell, no one was around him yet. Tenebris had no idea where the objective was thanks to his lack of focus while flying. Tenebris sighed as he began to walk forward. If he didn't find the relic by doing this, hopefully he would at least find someone who knew where it was.

Tenebris had been walking for what felt like hours. He had finally begun to call out in hopes someone would hear and walk towards him.

"Hello? Anyone there now?" Tenebris waited as he sighed, "Of course not," he said to himself out loud. Finally after walking some more Tenebris heard someone else call out as he stopped and listened.

"Hello?" Tenebris went towards the source of the sound as he kept his 360 view, that way he wouldn't miss what sounded like a she. Tenebris then found who was calling out and switched back to his regular view.

"Hey," Tenebris simply said as he walked up to the girl ahead. The girl turned around to meet him as they stood there, scanning each other. While the girl focused on him he did the same to her. She had long brown curly hair that covered her right eye before she brushed it aside, revealing her blue eyes. She wore a black material that covered her hands and moves past her elbows, obscuring almost her entire arms up to her bright blue chest plate. She wore what appeared to be a blue dress that split at the front and back once it reached her legs, making it stick out slightly down the sides of her bright aqua blue pants. She also wore long black boots that almost reached her knees, but that wasn't even the most surprising part. This girl that stood ahead of her had a weapon slung over her shoulder that was over half her height. It looked like someone had taken their most favorite guns then fused them together, creating something Tenebris didn't want to be on the wrong side of. Finally after the two stopped inspecting each other, Tenebris held his hand out to her.

"Tenebris, how about you," Tenebris said with a small smile on his face. The girl thought for a moment before she returned the handshake with a straight face.

"I'm Aliki," she said slowly as they shook hands. "You aren't already taken, are you? Because I've ran into three people who already had partners, and if I meet one more person who already has one-" Tenebris stopped her before she decided to use that weapon of hers for anger management.

"No, not taken! I haven't found anyone except you actually."

"Thank goodness," Aliki said with a smile. Tenebris was the next to speak up after a moment of silence.

"So, do you know where the objective is, the relic?" Aliki smiled slyly as she turned and walked.

"Yes actually, I saw it not far from here. Follow me blind boy." Tenebris frowned as he followed her.

"I'm not blind actually," he grumbled under his breath.

"Come on, just up ahead," Aliki said as she pushed through the branches with Tenebris following close behind. Suddenly the two stopped as they heard a yell echo out in the forest near them. Aliki turned and faced Tenebris and saw the look on his face, even with the blindfold on.

"No, the relics are just up ahead. They'll be fine I'm sure." As Aliki finished her statement a gunshot rang out followed by more yelling.

"I'm sorry, but it doesn't sound like it. We should go and help them." Another gunshot rang out as Aliki sighed.

"Fine, have it your way. But if we die, I'm going to kill you." Tenebris decided not to question her threat as they took off towards the sound of battle.

"On your left!" a voice shouted as another shot rang out, encouraging Aliki and Tenebris to run faster. As Tenebris pushed past the last line of trees he pulled out his weapon and extended the blades, slashing the Beowolf in front of him as he scanned his surroundings. He didn't get a good look of the people fighting, but one seemed to be a melee fighter while the other was ranged with a pistol. There wasn't too many Grimm so the pair must have taken care of most of them. Tenebris got to work slicing Grimm around him, putting Grimm that attacked him as a priority. Suddenly the Grimm began to drop as Aliki unleashed her weapon, a machine gun mechanism that fired grenades with blinding speed, somehow not hitting any of the three people as she used it. When she was done, the weapon stopped as she slung it back over her shoulder with ease. She smiled as the three stared at her with amazement.

"So are we going to introduce each other or keep staring at the pretty lady with the big gun?" Tenebris turned to the boy who said this, who he did not recognize. The boy in front of him wore a gray upper armor with only a left shoulder pad and a golden shirt underneath with golden leather straps along the front and back of the armor to keep it the right size. He also wore golden material that covered his forearms that appeared to be metallic for armor protection. On his lower half he wore a standard set of grey pants with a gold cloth that went around the waist but was slightly too large so that it hung down on his left side and a pair of standard gold silver boots with plashes of gold on the top. Tenebris watched as the pistol he was using transformed into two swords that curved near the top and had holes along the blades, for what Tenebris did not know, and a golden grip for the blades. Once the pistol transformed the boy put the blades in the straps in a cross shape and walked up to his partner.

"Mark?" Tenebris couldn't believe his chances of finding Mark in all of this, yet here he was in front of him adjusting his gloves.

"Oh hey Tenebris, fancy seeing you here," Mark said without looking at him and staying focused on his gloves. Tenebris went to say something but Mark held up a hand to stop him.

"Don't Tenebris, just don't. It appears we both already have partners so you don't have to worry about being on a team with me." Tenebris was going to tell Mark that he had heard teams were made up of four, but decided that wasn't the best course of action. Luckily the awkward silence was stopped when Mark's partner walked up from behind him.

"Hey dude, my name is Ash. What about you blindfold dude?" Tenebris turned to face Ash with what Ash assumed to be a glare.

"I'm Tenebris; no one who is alive calls me blindfold dude." Ash turned towards Mark with wide eyes.

"Geez, your buddy is dark huh?"

"He isn't my buddy," Mark stated as he pushed passed Tenebris towards the forest.

"Hey, what's your problem with my partner," Aliki asked loudly, stopping Mark in his tracks.

"Just stay out of it, alright? Now, unless either of you know where the relic is, Ash and I will be taking our leave."

"Actually," Aliki said with a smirk, "it's relics plural and that is where we are headed." Mark glared at Tenebris and sighed.

"Alright, fine. Since we'll tag along, my name is Mark if you didn't already know."

"I'm Aliki," she said as she stepped in front of Tenebris to face Mark with a glare of her own. Suddenly out of nowhere Ash appeared behind Aliki, causing her to jump in fright.

"Aliki huh? That's a pretty name you have there." Aliki shoved Ash aside as she moved on.

"Excuse me, Ash was it? I just met you and even I know that I'm not interested in you," she said as Tenebris followed her into the woods. Mark walked up to Ash and patted him on the shoulder as Ash sighed.

"Don't let it get you down, there's plenty of fish in the sea." With that Mark walked on with Ash close behind as they went towards the relics.

"Ash Okami, Mark Lanes, Aliki Smith, and Tenebris Ilex." Ozpin's voice rang out as he spoke these names into the microphone. "You four all gathered the black rook pieces. From this day forth you shall be known as Team Amethyst; led by Ash Okami. Congratulations all of you." The team of four stared at each other with smiles on their faces. From this day forth they would all work together and get to become family for the next four years if not more as Team AMAT. And for that, none of them could be prouder.

 **So I hope you all enjoyed chapter one and if you did please favorite and follow so you can see the other chapters of the story as soon as they are posted. Please leave a comment of whatever you like as constructive criticism is highly accepted to help me grow. Now as update schedule goes, I will be trying my hardest to update this story every month for you guys as so I have time to get it just the way I want. Shoutout to my five friends who are supportive and are helping me write all of this content for you guys, I couldn't be doing this without them. Anyway I'm sure you are all tired of hearing me talk so have a blessed day and I'll talk to you all next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2: Let the Training Begin

**NOTICE: Aliki's weapon got a change I put in chapter one. If you read it when she shot grenades then this is not for you. But for those of you who read that she shot bullets, she not shot grenades. Her weapon now works as a regular grenade launcher, but it shoots at really fast speeds. Sorry for the sudden change.**

 **Hello everyone. So, we have now arrived at chapter two, which means this story has officially began to take off. Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, because it's all of you guys that make me want to keep writing. So before the chapter starts I would like to give shout outs. I will give shout outs to everyone who favorites and/or follows this story at the beginning of a chapter from now on. To be clear, I am not doing this to bait you into following or favoriting this story, I am doing this so that I can give back a small bit and show my appreciation for everyone who keeps me going. Now, without further ado! Thank you very much to the following:**

 **Dinosaurchicken and Lord Adhes for favoriting!**

 **Lord Adhes for following!**

 **Now that I have shown my appreciation, please enjoy the fallowing chapter and remember to favorite and follow if you enjoy, and please leave a review as constructive criticism is always welcome.**

The newly named Team AMAT headed towards their dorm with what stuff they had with excitement. They were officially part of a team at Beacon Academy and they couldn't wait to get to their dorm, the place they would be spending together for the next four years. Once they reached the door Ash pulled out his scroll and put it against the door handle, unlocking it. He put his hand on the handle and looked at his new team, smiling.

"Are you guys ready for this?" Without waiting for an answer he threw the door open and tossed in his stuff. "Team Amethyst is in the house!" Aliki groaned as she pushed past Ash.

"If you're always going to be this loud and annoying I don't know if I want to stay in the same room as you.

"Oh come on, it's exciting," Mark said with enthusiasm as he walked next to Ash. "Seriously, this is almost unreal!"

"I'm with Aliki," Tenebris said as he closed the door and leaned against it. "We are all going to be living here, not just you two. So at least keep that in mind, okay?"

"Ugh, fine. Party killer," Ash said as he scanned the layout of the room along with everyone else. When they walked in, there was a door in the far left corner of the room that opened up to a big bathroom. Against the far wall were all four beds, leaving barely any space between them all.

"Oh no," Aliki said shaking her head. "I am NOT going to sleep with three guys in that space." Ash giggled at how that was worded, but quickly stopped once Aliki shot him a glare.

"It would be slightly cramped," Mark said as he scanned the beds.

"Alright then, what do you suggest," Ash asked.

"Well, we could move one of these beds so that when you walk in, it's in the right corner against the same wall." Everyone stared at the beds as Tenebris walked up to one.

"Alright, sounds good to me." With that Tenebris and Marked moved the bed to the corner with almost perfect ease. "And hey, Mark," Tenebris began when they were done, but was once again cut off by Mark. He was really getting tired of that.

"You don't need to say anything. I'm sorry too, I was cold to you. And hey, we're on a team now anyway, so there's no need to have a feud between us," He finished as he held out his hand to Tenebris, which he gladly accepted.

Once everyone had gotten their stuff unpacked, they all took the time to relax on their appropriate beds, Ash taking the bed closest to the bathroom followed by Mark then Tenebris, with Aliki taking her bed in the corner.

"Hey Tenebris, why don't you have any stuff?" Tenebris answered Mark without turning towards him.

"Everything that was important enough to bring is already with me." An uncomfortable silence fell over the room.

"So… you didn't have anything else important other than clothes and a weapon?" Tenebris merely shrugged. Another uncomfortable silence filled the room, so Ash decided to change topics.

"Alright, so now that we are all officially a team and I'm team leader-"

"Don't remind me," Aliki retorted. Ash glared as he continued.

"As I was saying, as team leader I suggest that we all get to know each other a little better. You know, do some team bonding."

"Alright, How do you want to do that," Mark asked.

"We can all go around and ask someone on our team a question. That way we can all try and get to know each other better."

"This sounds like truth or dare, just without the dare," Aliki said smartly.

"No, it isn't like that. You don't have to answer any questions you don't want to; no one's forcing anything out of you. This is just to help bond as a team. And to start us off, Mark, how does your weapon work?

"Alright, sounds good," Mark said as he looked at his gloves. "Well, my gloves have some metal pieces around my knuckles and fingers for protection. As I'm sure you've noticed my gloves have three dust canisters attached to each glove, with tubes running down them. The dust I use is fire, lightning, and ice for different purposes. My boots," he said pulling up his pant leg slightly, "work the same way, they just also have wind dust along with the other three." He pulled down his pant leg.

"Wow, that's awesome," Ash said with a smile. "Alright, what's your semblance?"

"Nope, that's two questions, it's my turn. Aliki, which guns did you glue together to create that thing," he asked pointing at her weapon, which was currently leaning against the wall next to her. Aliki rolled her eyes before answering.

"This thing, as you call it, is not guns glued together. I merely took functions of a machine gun and grenade launcher and pieced them together. So not only can I use both weapon functions depending on the fight, I can also use them at the same time." Everyone, even Tenebris, was staring until she cleared her throat and spoke again. "So, my turn then?" She didn't wait on a response before going. "Hey Tenebris, you said you weren't blind earlier in the forest, but you wear a blindfold. So how can you see?" Everyone awaited his answer as he continues staring in the same spot as earlier.

"Because of my semblance," he answered simply.

"That's a pretty useful semblance for you, given your condition," Ash stated.

"Okay, so your semblance is to see things?"

"That's a second question," Mark once again corrected.

"Alright, fine. What do you want to know then, Tenebris," Aliki said with little enthusiasm. Tenebris thought for a second before answering.

"I'm all good. I don't want to ask anyone anything personal. Besides, if you want me to know something you'd tell me, so I won't force you guys to tell me anything."

"Wait, really," Aliki asked stunned. Tenebris merely nodded as a response.

"Well, thank you then, I think," Mark said, also being stunned by Tenebris's response. Tenebris then stood up and headed towards the bathroom.

"I'm a bit tired, it's been a long day," he said as he gathered his Beacon pajamas provided by the school. With that Tenebris shut the door as the rest of the team stayed quiet.

"I just want to say," Ash started, breaking the silence, "that I'm really glad to be on a team with you all. It's still so unreal I'm here at Beacon and I hope that we can all work together to be the best team that we can be." Mark smiled as Tenebris walked back into the room and Aliki went in after him as she spoke.

"Yea yea, no need to get all mushy and stuff." Tenebris dropped onto his bed and pulled the sheets over him as he smiled slightly at the events of today. This day had truly changed his life, for better or for worse. Either way, he was going to continue to try to make the best of this opportunity that he had been given.

The team was rudely interrupted by the sound of a high pitch alarm clock that Ash had set so that the team would be awake in time for classes. Ash turned the alarm off while Tenebris arose and used his semblance to look around, remembering he was no longer in prison and that he was in a dorm room. Aliki arose, yawning as she stretched to wake herself up. Mark simply groaned and turned over, preparing to fall asleep. At least that was the plan until he was lifted off the bed and tossed onto the floor. He groaned as he got up, looking to see who the culprit was. Tenebris smiled as Aliki and Ash began to die laughing.

"Tenebris, why would you do that?"

"I just didn't want you to be late for classes. So being a good teammate I motivated you to get up and stay awake."

"By throwing me on the floor?!"

"It worked, didn't it?" Mark went to retort but stayed silent as he glared at Aliki and Ash, who were still laughing. Finally when Ash had stopped and checked time.

"Okay guys, we have one hour for us to be in our first class of the day, which is history. So let's move."

The team was all sitting together eating breakfast in the cafeteria. It was already a nice day because it was Saturday, so they all got to sleep in. They were currently talking about all of the classes they had, along with their crazy teachers. The teachers here were definitely an interesting bunch.

"No way, Oobleck is definitely worse than Port," Ash argued.

"Not true, at least Oobleck teaches his material," Mark retorted.

"Yea, if you can even follow him."

"At least in his class you can stay awake."

"Ladies, ladies, you're both pretty," Aliki said with a small smirk. Mark and Ash just smiled as they rolled their eyes. Mark and Ash had become good friends this past week. They had so much in common and always seemed to be in conversation with each other. Aliki and Tenebris, however, still had some work to do. It wasn't that they hated each other; it's just that neither of them were very talkative. Well, that wasn't true, they both seemed to be annoyed often. They had the same sarcasm when annoyed at someone, typically that someone being Mark and Ash. But other than that Aliki and Tenebris were awfully quiet.

"Hey, at least we can talk to each other. I rarely see you guys talking at all," Mark said. Aliki went quiet and suddenly became very interested at the food on her plate after that comment. Although Ash and Mark could be very annoying, Mark had a point. Every time she and Tenebris were with each other they were typically silent. And she had no plans of changing that. The fact was that they were both quiet people and they enjoyed it that way. Ash sighed as he came up with an idea.

"Okay, that's it; we are doing something together as a team." The rest of the team looked up at him. "We are all going down to Vale and we are going to hang out, talk to each other. Learn a little bit about each other's interests and what not as we look around." Aliki and Tenebris faced each other as Mark smiled.

"That is an awesome idea! I'm in," he said quickly. Aliki looked back at Ash then back at Tenebris.

"Umm, I'm not so sure about this."

"Oh come on," Ash said. "You two are the people in this team that need it the most." Aliki looked at Ash and sighed. This was clearly going to be a losing battle.

"Okay, fine. We'll go, right Tenebris?" Tenebris sighed and nodded slowly. Ash smiled as he spoke.

"Awesome, it's settled! Let's all go to Vale for the day."

Team AMAT walked around the streets of Vale, entering different shops as they looked around. Mark and Ash were walking in the front of the group, constantly pointing out the many shops and items they contained to each other. Meanwhile behind them Aliki and Tenebris walked in silence next to each other. They kept trying to start conversations with each other, but nothing seemed to work out.

"This store has some cool weapon parts in it," Aliki said as the team walked into a weapon store.

"Yea, it does," Tenebris replied. "But I don't need any parts for my weapon, at least not today."

"Yea, me neither. But it's nice to know where to go if we do need parts though." Tenebris nodded in response. That was the longest conversation the two had had so far. Meanwhile Ash and Mark kept showing each other different parts and imagining what weapons they could create using what they could find. Aliki and Tenebris sighed in sync as they looked at the two imagining crazy weapons.

"We are never going to be allowed back here again," Aliki said as she looked at the store owner, who although he was smiling, seemed somewhat terrified that the pair was actually going to create these weapons. Tenebris chuckled as he shook his head.

"Yup, those two are definitely going to be a handful."

"And one of them is our leader," Aliki said smiling at Tenebris.

"I trust Ozpin knows what he's doing. But nonetheless…" Tenebris didn't have to finish, Aliki knew exactly what he meant. Was Ash truly fit to be there leader? If she didn't trust Ozpin she would be having serious doubts. But because she did trust him she was only having minor doubts. Finally Ash and Mark finished plotting weapons and left the store with Aliki and Tenebris following them. They all walked down Vale while looking in windows of shops once more. Finally, Tenebris took a deep breath and faced Aliki.

"I'm sorry if being quiet makes it seem like I don't like you or anything. I just don't hand out my trust easily to people, so that's why I don't talk about myself much."

"That's alright Tenebris. I too have trouble with people." There was a moment of silence before Aliki turned and faced Tenebris. "Guess we have more in common than we thought, huh?" Tenebris smiled back at her.

"Yea, I guess so." The two then started to talk a little more to each other, finally getting to know each other a little more. Neither of them shared anything too personal, but they were finally beginning to open up and trust one another. Ash and Mark smiled as they looked at the two. They were finally starting to get along. But when Mark and Ash turned back and faced forward, they halted as they looked at the sight before them. Tenebris saw this with his semblance and put his arm in front of Aliki to prevent her from bumping into them. The two faced forward as they too stared at the sight before them. A small crowd had gathered around, but it was small enough the four could see from where they were. A few cops were going around the sidewalk and street area that was wrapped up in caution tape. The four looked at what had happened and couldn't believe what they saw. A girl that looked to be a few years younger them had what appeared to be multiple stab wounds in her chest. However as the team looked closer they realized something strange about this girl. This girl's skin was spotted in metal plates all over her skin.

"Why does she have metal skin in some places," Aliki asked. No one knew how to answer her question.

"Who, or what, is she," Ash asked. The others continued to stare along with the crowd until finally Ash couldn't take it anymore.

"Come on, we're going back," Ash said with authority in his voice. The team was shocked by his tone, Ash was always a fun and joking person, they had never heard him like this before. Ash left no room to argue as he turned and began to head back, the rest of the team following behind him.

The team sat silently in their dorm as they watched the news, which was now live broadcasting from the scene they just came back from.

"This fourteen year old girl who has yet to be identified appeared to have multiple metal plates on her skin, when in reality that metal was her skin. We do not know why this is or what the motive was for killing her, but police have said that they are on the case and will find this killer as soon as possible. Back to you-" The lady was cut off as Tenebris shut off the television. The team sat and pondered the information that they had just found out.

"Well, that was an experience," Mark said slowly.

"We have to do something," Ash said.

"Like what Ash," Tenebris asked. "There are people who handle this sort of thing and we don't need to get involved." Tenebris couldn't help but think about the body and how angry he felt towards the person who did that. Then he thought about his own past experiences and wondered how many people thought of him that way. He began to pace around the room to help take his mind off of it.

"I just feel like we should find who did this and turn them in. Did you even see her?"

"Of course I did," Tenebris snapped back. "But that doesn't mean it's our job or responsibility to find this killer. We probably wouldn't even be able to take him if we wanted to." Mark stood and went next to Ash.

"I'm with Ash. I can't just let this problem blow over, not after seeing that. And you saw that girl's skin, it was unnatural. Maybe there's some evil person turning people into things like that and we could find and stop them! That would be so cool!" Tenebris walked up to Mark and grabbed him by the shoulders and gave a small shake.

"Get real Mark. This isn't a game; we can't just go out and expect the good guys to win."

"Then we train. Maybe there isn't some evil guy or anything like that, but fact is there is a murder out there, and they may be planning to strike again. And as a team of huntsman, we would almost be better than the police because we could engage in combat and still stand a chance if this guy is really good at fighting." Tenebris began to pace once more.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing right now, wanting us to go after a killer. Where would we even start?" Finally Aliki stood and spoke up.

"We would start by training." Everyone stared at her as she continued. "Look Tenebris, Ash and Mark may be crazy and out of control sometimes, but they have a point here. And if this killer does strike again, then we would have clues to follow and we would be prepared for it."

"No, no way this is happening," Tenebris insisted.

"Fine, then we'll put it to a vote," Ash said.

"You can't be serious," Tenebris said. "We can't take a killer. And even if we could, this isn't our job."

"Yes it is," Aliki stated. "As huntsmen and huntresses, this is our job, at least a little. Keeping peace and keeping evil off the streets. That is our job."

"All in favor raise your hand," Ash said. Aliki, Mark, and Ash raised their hands. Tenebris thought over what everyone had said. Finally he sighed as he raised his hand.

"For the record, I still think this plan is ridiculous. But, you all do have a point." Everyone smiled as they set down their hands.

"Great, it's unanimous. Then it's time to train starting tomorrow. So even though it's Sunday, we are getting up early tomorrow to train." Everyone agreed with Ash as they all prepared to go to bed. Tomorrow would be day one of a long adventure for the team, whether they knew it or not.

Mark yelled out as he went for a punch to Tenebris's chest, landing the hit and sending him backward. Tenebris flipped out of it and landed ready to fight as Mark charged at him again. Ash rushed in to help but was caught off guard as Aliki launched grenades at him with blinding speed. Ash dodged as he rushed towards Aliki. Although he was taking some damage to his aura, he wanted to get close to Aliki so her weapon would be useless. However as Ash got close, Aliki dropped her weapon as she dethatched the scope, extending it to a two handed metal staff. As Ash brought his swords down, she raised her staff and blocked, beginning a melee competition between the two. As the two fought Ash realized that although Aliki had a staff, she was not as well trained with it as her gun. Ash used this to find openings as they fought and use them towards his advantage. But as he was landing hits on Aliki, Tenebris dashed towards him and landed a hit. This knocked Ash into the red zone from all the hits he took earlier and that ended the match. Ash and Mark got up slowly as Aliki and Tenebris panted for air. The four went to get their water as they exchanged notes.

"You did a lot of damage to me at the beginning Aliki and surprised me with your up close staff, but you'll need to train better with it to really be dangerous with it," Ash said.

"And you need to not be so reckless. Although you would have had me if not for Tenebris, it made you too easy to take out."

"You started strong with you hand and feet combos, but you got predictable after I studied the few you had. Try some new stuff and see what happens. And you didn't use much dust so that tells me you probably only have one or two combos for them, so get creative. Dust can be used in many different ways," Tenebris told Mark.

"Yea, sure thing Tenebris." The team smiled at the improvements they had already made after just five rounds of partner sparring. They were improving quicker than they thought, maybe even enough to fight this killer soon.

"Hey how about we get lunch? I don't know about you guys but I am starving," Ash said.

"Yes, lunch sounds great," Mark said. The team went for lunch as the thought about the advice they had all been given. They had all agreed not to go after this person unless they killed again so that they would have more clues and a reason to go after them, just in case it was just one murderer that would be easily caught and they had overreacted. The team ate as they rested and prepared for their next matches of the day. As the team would continue to practice they would not only get stronger individually, but stronger as a team as well.

 **Well, there we go, getting into the story little by little. Anyway if you enjoy this story please leave a favorite and follow so you can get updates as soon as I post. And remember to leave a comment if you have about anything you wish, as long as it isn't offensive and the criticism is constructive. With that everyone have a great day and I'll post again for you all next month.**


	3. Chapter 3: The Hidden Truth

**Hello everyone! Yes, I know I know I can hear the boos already. I am aware that I went past my deadline for a monthly update. The truth of it is school got me more than I thought it would and so I didn't get this out in time. I will continue to work and do my best to get these out monthly, but it may take more time for chapters to come out due to real life. So apologies that chapters may be delayed but never fear, I will continue to try and get these chapters out when I can! Now, it is time to show my appreciation! Thank you to the following:**

 **tigerockstar for following!**

 **Now that that's over with, apologies again for the late chapter, but I hope you enjoy!  
**

Team AMAT lay on their beds in their dorm sore and exhausted.

"I didn't even know I could hurt where I'm hurting," Ash said. Everyone just made a noise of agreement without moving. Tenebris was the first to move as he stood up and stretched a little.

"I guess I'll take first shower then. Any objections?" No one made any effort to object. "Alright then." One by one the remaining three sat up as they groaned in pain. However, even though they were all in pain, they were all smiling. These past two weeks helped them improve their fighting skills greatly. They also noticed that though their fighting was improving, so was their bonds with each other. Everyone was becoming more comfortable with each other and even beginning to open up a little more. Well, almost everyone that is.

"Hey Aliki, what's up with Tenebris," Mark asked since Tenebris was not in the room.

"What do you mean," Aliki asked.

"I mean we are all at least friends and really becoming close teammates. But Tenebris seems like he doesn't really want us, or anyone else for that fact, to get close to him. I wondered if it was the same with you since you're his partner and all."

"He may be a bit socially awkward at times, but he's warming up to us," Ash said. "I mean, on day one he didn't want us to know anything, at least now he talks to us. He's making progress, just slowly."

"I understand if he doesn't warm up to people well, what I don't understand is why. He may talk to us more but he never talks about anything personal." The room stayed silent for a moment except for the quiet sound of running water in the other room. "You guys don't think he's hiding something, do you?"

"What? No, Tenebris isn't hiding anything. And even if he is that's okay, it isn't our job to pry him for answers," Aliki said, defending her partner.

"But what if it's something important? Maybe if we try to find out we can help him with whatever it is. Don't you guys want to help him?"

"Of course I do if something's wrong, but not like this," Ash said. Mark looked at Aliki for an answer as she stayed quiet and looked at the ground thinking. Just when Aliki went to say something Tenebris walked out of the bathroom in his night attire, which consisted of his pajamas, blindfold, and cloak. Aliki rushed past him into the restroom to take shower and to get out of the conversation as possible. They wanted to try and spy on her partner and pry secrets from him? This isn't how she wanted to do things. Then a thought crossed her mind. If they wanted to investigate each other and pry secrets from them, would she be next in line? She pushed this thought from her mind as she took a shower.

"Everything okay in here," Tenebris asked as he got dressed to sleep.

"Yea of course, why wouldn't it be," Mark said. Tenebris looked at Ash who gave him a small smile but was clearly forced. Tenebris was unconvinced but just shrugged and let it go, he wasn't going to pry. After all, it was none of his business.

The next day when classes were over, Mark headed straight to the computer lab. He had told the team where he would be so they did not worry, but when questioned why he would be there he thought for a second.

"I'm just going to do some research. Get ahead of the game on that paper in Oobleck's class."

"That paper isn't due until next week though, right," Ash asked confused.

"I'm trying to open up more time for me and to do that I'm going to start on projects really early. Anyone else want to come with?" The team decided they had nothing better to do and walked with Mark. Once they entered the lab Tenebris immediately picked a computer in the back corner with no one else near it. Aliki sighed, but decided to follow him. She only hoped that one day he would be better about this sort of thing. Ash and Mark shrugged as they picked two other computers next to each other and got to work. However, as Tenebris, Aliki, and Ash were working slowly on this paper, Mark was doing something completely different. Mark knew his way around a computer and its systems and he began to put those skills to the test.

Eventually he found his way into what he was after, Tenebris; Specifically Tenebris's past. He first decided to look up something simple, his parents and family. Nothing at all came up, almost as if Tenebris never had one. Mark found this puzzling and tried to research deeper into this. He started researching people of the same last name, Ilex. As Mark researched, nothing worthwhile came up. After this Mark sighed as he decided to postpone that and try something else, police history. It was a big jump but Mark decided it didn't hurt to at least try. Mark very carefully began to go into the police files searching for Tenebris Ilex. Mark eventually found his file and pulled it up, revealing a clean sheet. Mark could have stopped there, but had this feeling that he couldn't ignore, so he began to dig deeper. Mark couldn't believe what he found next.

"We need to talk, now," Mark told Ash and Aliki. They sat in their room as Tenebris was in the shower after another workout. Everyone had noticed Mark had been a bit off tonight and they were about to find out why.

"What's going on Mark, you okay," Aliki asked with slight concern.

"Yea, you weren't performing well tonight. Is something bothering you," Ash asked him.

"Yes!" Mark quickly stayed silent to see if Tenebris had heard. After a moment of silence he began to speak again, but this time more quietly. "Tenebris isn't who we thought. I did some research on him and you guys have to see this."

"Mark, are you kidding me? We agreed not to do this," Aliki said angrily.

"No, you said you wouldn't, but I didn't say anything of the sort." Mark quickly pulled papers he had printed out of his desk drawer before the other two could say anything else. "It's all here, everything about him that I could find. And this may not even be it all, who knows what else he is hiding!"

"I can't believe you did this," Ash said. "You need to trust him Mark. You just don't do this to people."

"You want trust? Then why doesn't he trust us enough to tell us his real name. Aliki and Ash were speechless as Mark began to read the name from the paper. "Nicholas Shade. That is his real name, not Tenebris Ilex. He made that up for himself after being homeless at some point. He got kicked out at five, along with his brother." Ash stayed silent, trying not to pay attention to this information but failing.

"Stop," Aliki asked Mark, but he refused.

"He had a younger brother named Gray Shade whose body was found years ago, he died at age nine. This is what I've been looking for," Mark said more to himself then the team. "And his past-"

"Stop!" The room went silent as Ash and Mark stared at Aliki. As the room was in silence the door opened, revealing Tenebris in his night attire. Everyone waited to see what he would say.

"Gray was a great brother. I couldn't protect him all those years ago." The room went silent again.

"I know about you Tenebris, or should I call you Nicholas," Mark asked as he gripped the papers a little tighter, as if Tenebris would try to take them.

"You will call me Tenebris if you value your ability to speak," he said calmly. Everyone in the room got chills down their spines as Tenebris spoke. The calmness in his voiced is what scared them the most.

"Tenebris, you wouldn't do that. Please, let's just all calm down," Ash pleaded. Mark held up the papers to read them again.

"You became a bounty hunter," Mark said as he walked closer to Tenebris. "After someone important was taken from you, you took up a job that did the exact same thing for others. Why did you do it?" Tenebris stayed silent again. "Answer me Nicholas, why did you do it," he asked again, putting emphasis on Nicholas. Again he was met with silence. Mark scoffed as he got up in Tenebris's face. "What would your brother say if he saw you today? What would he think of you?" Just as Mark finished Tenebris shoved Mark back, almost knocking him over. As Mark went to retaliate, Tenebris thrust out his left hand towards Mark. Suddenly the shadows in the room bent to Tenebris's will as they shoved Mark against the wall, restraining him completely. Tenebris reached for his weapon, but before he could grab it Aliki and Ash tackled Tenebris to restrain him, breaking his concentration and releasing Mark.

"You're a freak and a murder," Mark said with venom dripping from his voice.

"Enough, both of you," Ash shouted. Tenebris shoved the two off of him as he grabbed his weapon and stood. Before anyone could react Mark was stuck to the floor by shadows and Tenebris's blade was at his throat. Everyone stood still as they waited, not making any sudden movements. Tenebris yelled as the stuck the weapon right next to Mark's head. Tenebris then grabbed the weapon and stormed out, releasing Mark once he left the room. The remaining three members remained still and unmoving as they tried to process what had just happened. Tenebris bent shadows to his will, and he murdered people? Ash and Aliki just couldn't believe it. Aliki immediately grabbed her weapon and began to leave the room.

"Where are you going," Mark demanded.

"Mark, he's our teammate and my partner, I'm going to look for him and you should too," Aliki said.

"I agree with her," Ash said. "You were far too out of line and we need to find him so you can apologize."

"I have nothing to apologize for," Mark said. "I thought something was up, and I found stuff about him that I revealed. I was just being honest, unlike him. And why are you on his side? That thing tried to kill me."

"He had very good reason to," Aliki shouted at him. "You went way too far and you deserve what you got."

"I deserved what I got? Do you think Nicholas being here is what he deserves?"

"His name is Tenebris," Ash said as he stepped between the two.

"That things name is Nicholas, whether you believe it or not."

"ENOUGH!" The two jumped in shock as they looked at Aliki. Her face was a deep shade of red and she was breathing heavily, clearly upset.

"Aliki, your face is really red. Maybe you should just take a deep breath and try to calm down." Aliki ignored Ash's advice as she continued to speak.

"I don't care what you say Mark, I'm going. And you can't stop me from finding him. I'll bring him back, with or without you." As Aliki stood there Ash walked beside her.

"Oh come on, not you too."

"She's right Mark, you were out of line. And he may be in trouble and we're his friends. So we're going to find him, with or without you." With that Aliki and Ash walked out the door to find Tenebris. Mark yelled out as he punched a wall, cracking it slightly. What were they thinking, going after Nicholas after all of that? Don't they know what he did? Do they not care about all the people he killed? Mark cared, and he was going to get justice. Mark put on his gloves and left the dorm as he tried to find his teammates.

Tenebris had no idea where he was going. And he didn't really care either. He used his semblance to look around him, not recognizing any of his surroundings, but at least he was still alone. He was now in what appeared to be some sort of abandoned warehouse. He went inside and took a deep breath. He flexed his muscles as he began to control the shadows around his that were cast by the moonlight. He used the shadows to fly though the metal of the warehouse out of anger, causing many holes to appear in the metal. Finally Tenebris yelled out as he stopped and collapsed on his knees, returning the shadows to where they belonged. Tears began to slowly fall down his face through his blindfold. Tenebris wiped the tears as he stood back up. What happened just proved why he should never trust anyone, because everyone is always going to take advantage of him eventually, and his past would always haunt him.

Tenebris eventually began to lie down on the cold and hard floor of the warehouse, preparing for sleep, though he expected to get very little if any. As he closed his eyes, he began to hear familiar voices calling his name. Was that Aliki and Ash? Tenebris got up quickly as he used his semblance and found them standing in the entrance of the warehouse, silent. They stood for what felt like hours in silence. Finally, Aliki broke the silence.

"Hey Tenebris, what are you doing in a place like this?" Aliki and Ash already agreed Aliki would talk to him as she was his partner. Tenebris responded with a question of his own.

"How did you find me?" Aliki pulled out her scroll and showed it to him.

"In case of emergency we can track teammates. You didn't turn yours off." Tenebris scolded himself silently for thinking about that.

"What do you want," Tenebris asked as he completely ignored Ash.

"I, we, want our team back. I want my partner back." Aliki took a step forward as Tenebris responded with a step back from her.

"Who is we, does that include Mark? He betrayed me, and I will never forgive that." The way Tenebris spoke sent chills down Ash's and Aliki's spines. "Someone betrayed me once long ago. I never forgive betrayal." Aliki decided not to push on the subject. "If that is all then please go back. You'll be better off without me anyway." Aliki took another step forward, this time Tenebris stayed still.

"Tenebris, your past doesn't define you, your present does. Trust me, the past can hurt, I know. But you can't let define you. Please Tenebris, come back. We can all talk about this, together." Tenebris focused on Aliki's face. He began to ponder. How could she still care about him, after everything she now knew? It didn't make any sense, but he wanted it to. But as Tenebris was thinking it over, the wall to his right began to bend as a loud banging erupted in the warehouse. After the fourth hit the wall flew at him and Aliki, who both dove out of the way, Aliki landing on her stomach and Tenebris rolling out of it into a standing position. Outside of what used to be a wall walked in Mark, his gloves surrounded with flames. Aliki got up and ran to Mark.

"Mark, hey! It's all okay, we talked about-" Just as Aliki was going to hold him back and talk to him, Mark turned and punched her directly in the face, sending her flying and skidding past Ash.

"Aliki," Tenebris and Ash shouted in sync. Ash ran to Aliki's side as Tenebris faced Mark.

"What the hell Mark," Tenebris yelled at Mark, who stood silently as he glared at Tenebris with a look of murderous rage.

"I knew I recognized your name," Mark finally said. "Tenebris, the legendary assassin. Your scum, filth, and someone needs to make you pay for your crimes," he said as he got in a fighting stance. Tenebris was glad to fight Mark as he pulled out his own weapon. Just as Tenebris did, Mar charged at Tenebris with blinding speed, landing the first hit.

From there it was a series of clashes and hits trading with each other. Mark would land his hits, only to be struck by Tenebris soon after. To tilt the scales Mark used the rest of his dust. First he got close enough to Tenebris to grab he arm and use his ice dust, covering his left arm in ice. He then landed a few hits and grabbed that arm again, using his lightning dust. Tenebris screamed out in agony as he felt the lighting course through his body. Just as the pain ended, Mark stepped back and kicked Tenebris in the gut with fire dust, sending him flying as he gasped for air. Tenebris struggled to get up, using his weapon for support as he regained his breath. Mark marched up to Tenebris for another strike, but was surprised when Tenebris suddenly thrust out his hand, wrapping Mark in shadows. Tenebris then stood fully as he began to thrash Mark against the floor and walls of the warehouse. Finally Mark lay on the ground bleeding almost more than Tenebris, unable to move as he was released.

Tenebris released the shadows as he limped over to Mark, holding his gut where he was kicked. Tenebris stood above Mark as he pointed his blade at him. He had killed before and he could, and would, do it again. Except as he prepared to end Mark, a voice rang out.

"No Tenebris stop!" Tenebris faced Aliki as she limped over into the warehouse. Ash walked by her, supporting her. She must have been hit pretty hard. That was all Tenebris needed to hear to hesitate. Normally he would ignore this request and end his target, but something about Aliki made him hesitate and listen.

"Do it," Mark said as he coughed up some blood. "Kill me, just end my life. I want you to do it." Tenebris stood unmoving as he pondered. Why couldn't he do it? He used his semblance and looked at Aliki, then remembered why. He wanted to, but he just couldn't, not with Aliki here. "Kill me Nicholas, just like you killed my mother all those years ago."

The only sound was the thunder and light rain that started, along with Tenebris's weapon hitting the ground. Everyone was silent as this sunk in. Mark then kicked Tenebris away as he stood up, but he didn't go for Tenebris as he got up. Tenebris and Mark stared at each other.

"Mark, I'm sorry about what I did."

"What was her name?"

"What? I don't understand what you mean," Tenebris responded.

"The woman you killed, the mother you took from me. Do you even know her name?" Tenebris looked away as he took in a breath. Of course he knew, he knew this whole time.

"Martha Lanes." Mark couldn't tell if it was the ran from the holes in the roof of the warehouse he felt, or if it was his own tears.

"You took her from me, along with many others. For that you need to die! You ruined my life! My father… he ruined me and many others out of grief and madness thanks to you. You have no idea what the hell I went through."

"Mark, I really am sorry."

"Bullshit! You aren't sorry, you've never been sorry. When was the last time you felt emotion when someone died, huh?!"

"When my brother died," Tenebris replied quietly.

"So you've never felt guilt when you killed someone?" Tenebris didn't even hesitate.

"No." Everyone was silent as the rain echoed louder. Mark yelled as he ran to take one last swing as Tenebris, but Tenebris was prepared. He dodged and countered, slamming Mark into the ground, knocking him out in the process. Tenebris retrieved his weapon and put it away. Ash called in an airship to pick them up and take them to a medical facility. Tenebris helped Aliki walk while Ash got Mark on board. The trip was completely silent the whole way. No one knew what the next day would bring, and they were afraid to know.

The door flew open as a man walked in quickly, clearly on a mission. He walked towards a table where a big and older man sat, smoking a cigar with two guards, one on his left and another on his right. As the door closed the guards lifted their weapons toward the man to protect their boss as he got closer. Once this happened the man stopped. The bigger man at the table chuckled.

"My friend, what a nice surprise." He inhaled some smoke from his cigar and blew it out towards the man, who stood unaffected. "I am so happy to hear that you completed your job, Alphon."

"That's Mr. Alphon to you, scum." The older man glared at Alphon.

"What did you just call me," he asked with anger in his voice. "I don't think you understand, you work for me, Alphon. Boys, teach him a lesson." With this the two guards went to fire their weapons, but before they could Alphon took action. Alphon leaped over the table as he kicked one guard onto the ground and stabbed the other, causing him to die on the spot. As the other guard got up, he stood above him and stabbed him in the neck as he had with the other, also ending his life. Alphon turned toward the now cowering man with anger in his eyes.

"I told you to call me Mr. Alphon. And to be clear, I work for only one." With that he swiped his blade across the man's neck and watched him bleed out on the floor. Once the man was dead, he left the building as quickly as he had arrived.

 **Thank you everyone for reading! If** **you enjoy this story please leave a favorite and follow so you can get updates as soon as I post. And remember to leave a comment if you have about anything you wish, as long as it isn't offensive and the criticism is constructive. With that everyone have a great day and I will try my best to post again for you all next month.**


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